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Not long ago, you may have received a postcard reminding you of the
priority of support for Davidson Academy 's Bear Pride Fund (formerly known as the annual campaign). Every new school year holds great
promise, and we understand that your family receives many requests for support,
both from campus groups and from elsewhere in the community. We hope you will
place Bear Pride Fund at the top of your gift-giving list. No other
gift to Davidson Academy supports our entire program of academic, arts, and
athletics across all grade levels. Throughout our school history, Davidson
Academy students have reached stunning achievements thanks to the generous
outpouring of support from donors, like you, who are passionate about our
mission in preparing students for college, life and eternity. Those “giants”
have paved the way for all of the victories our current students are able to
win – in and out of the classroom! When you make a gift of any size to Bear Pride Fund, you'll join as one of those “giants” who form the
strong foundation upon which our students achieve.
| Founder's Circle |
$5,000 and above |
| Chairman's Circle |
$2,500 - $4,999 |
| Headmaster's Circle |
$1,000 - $2,499 |
| Dean's List |
$500 - $999 |
| Scholar's Circle |
$250 - $499 |
| Circle of Friends |
$1 - $249 |
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The Bear Pride Fund (Annual Fund) supplies operating funds
that support the ongoing work and programs of the school. It provides an
immediate impact on the school by helping meet the increasing costs of
educating students, costs that tuition and other revenue alone cannot cover.
Your Bear Pride Fund gift supports Davidson Academy's overall
picture—to provide the tools and experiences that enable today's students to
conquer tomorrow's challenges. Your gift funds high-tech classrooms, augments
disciplines, improves facilities and provides students with the latest
educational innovations and programs. Bear Pride Fund dollars help
to maximize the learning experience for Davidson Academy students and allows
Davidson Academy to continue to grow as an incomparable community of learning.
So often we hear from our alumni about how well Davidson Academy prepared
them for college and life beyond. What made their education more meaningful
were things like passionate and skilled teachers, opportunities for field
study, access to state-of-the-art technology, and individualized attention.
The Bear Pride Fund allows Davidson Academy to offer its students
the essentials that make the difference between a good education and a great
one, and your support helps us to continue to offer full, rich educational
experiences and develop well-rounded students.
All the money raised goes into the operating budget, which means
it pays for the books in the library, the soccer balls and baseball bats,
the salary for your favorite teacher, the paint brushes and other materials
needed for art instruction, the test tubes in the chemistry lab, and much,
much more.
Davidson Academy needs the Bear Pride Fund, together with
funds donated through other means, to bridge the gap between what parents
pay in tuition and what it actually costs to provide a year at Davidson
Academy for a student. That gap is somewhere between $500 - $2,000 per child,
depending on exactly which financial measures are used. This is why it is
important for each Davidson Academy family to participate in the Bear
Pride Fund — because every Davidson Academy student depends on
financial support to give him or her the experiences we have all come to value.
With a robust Bear Pride Fund (Annual Fund), Davidson Academy
can better afford to keep tuition prices from rising too sharply. At the same
time, the proceeds from the Bear Pride Fund help Davidson Academy to
attract the best faculty, offer financial aid packages, support academic
programs on campus and fund the many other initiatives that make a Davidson
Academy educational experience so unique.
Contributing to the Davidson Academy Bear Pride Fund (Annual Fund)
is perhaps the simplest and most important thing you can do to help the
school. Your gift - whether it's $25, $2,500, or more - works to make a
difference for Davidson Academy. The Bear Pride Fund (Annual Fund)
is about all of us joining together to make a significant impact for our
students and preserving the Davidson Academy legacy. Through your support,
you are demonstrating a spirit of philanthropy that will foster the ideals
of future students.
Participation matters because many foundations only fund schools that
can demonstrate they are widely supported by their own alumni, parents,
and administration. Annual giving participation is also an important measure
of our success as gauged in accreditation criteria. In addition, costs for
running a school and providing a strong academic, arts and athletics program
increase every year. For this reason, Davidson Academy needs and appreciates
gifts of every size from all constituencies.
Raising tuition to such an extent would have two disadvantages: the
entire burden would be borne solely by current parents, and such increases
would exclude many talented students. Through the Bear Pride Fund (Annual Fund) we can offer all the supporters of the school (not only
current parents) the opportunity to make tax-deductible gifts as they are able.
Independent school education, with its excellent faculty-student ratios,
is both valuable and expensive. When you choose an independent school education
for your child, one of the commitments you make is a financial one, both in
terms of paying tuition and in the responsibility for voluntary support.
American independent education historically owes its very existence to
generous donors, and all independent schools to this day depend on this
tradition of philanthropy.
It is hoped that parents, grandparents and alumni will give as
generously as possible to Davidson Academy. Every single gift, regardless of
the amount, is valued. When the school applies for foundation grants in
support of special projects, one of the criteria for evaluating the
applicant school is the percentage of participation in its annual fund.
The breadth of commitment for Davidson Academy among alumni, parents,
grandparents and friends demonstrates a “vote of confidence” and favorably
influences the school's pursuit of foundation grants.
The Bear Pride Fund (Annual Fund) is used for annual expenses.
Capital and endowed are for building and special projects. The Bear Pride
Fund helps us live and grow programs and services. Capital funds help
us grow facilities.
We hope that every current parent will make the Bear Pride Fund a philanthropic priority. Since each student benefits from the fund, we ask
all parents to give to the best of their ability. Even if families receive
financial aid, it is hoped that they will make a gift in order to join in the
common mission of demonstrating community support for the school.
There are also many other school events and programs that require volunteer
and financial support; participation in any or all is greatly appreciated.
In addition, Davidson Academy is conducting a capital campaign for
construction of our new campus and also accepts endowment gifts.
However the Bear Pride Fund is a core fund-raising activity that
provides essential funds for running the school and balancing the budget.
First, pray for Davidson Academy and your participation.
Second, please give generously. Your donation, along with the gifts of
others, will strengthen the school.
Third, please volunteer to help us accomplish great things through the
Annual Campaign! Volunteer responsibilities may include making telephone
calls, writing short follow-up letters, or joining staff in making personal
visits to corporations and foundations.
All volunteers will be trained for their specific tasks and will work in
conjunction with Davidson Academy Development Office staff members.
Please consider volunteering to assist with Davidson Academy's Annual Campaign.
You can order magazines to benefit DA through the Web now and throughout
the year at www.qsp.com.
Bear Pride Fund (Annual Fund) gifts are unrestricted, so they can be used where they are needed the most. Quite literally, every aspect of Davidson Academy benefits from Bear Pride Fund support. Following are some examples of the ways in which the Bear Pride Fund dollars help to maximize the learning experience for Davidson Academy students.
Faculty/Staff
- provides for teacher salaries and benefits
- helps us attract and retain passionate and skilled teachers
- provides for continuing education for faculty and staff, ensuring
that our children are taught by the most qualified educators
Physical Plant
- improves facilities and provides for grounds maintenance
- funding for the most basic needs associated with maintaining the unique
and beautiful campus
- helps provide for basic necessities like air conditioning on a hot day,
lighting for all of the classrooms, and other utilities necessary to run a school
Classroom
- provides students with the latest educational innovations and programs
- enables us to offer rich learning materials in classrooms
- helps maintain small class size, so that children receive individualized
attention
Arts & Academic
- furnishes monies for art and academic supplies, such as the paint
brushes and other materials needed for art instruction, equipment for science
labs, musical instruments, etc.
- offers students the opportunity to participate in service learning projects
- supports library acquisitions
- provides technology upgrades for science and computer labs
Athletics
- provides monies for athletic equipment, such as soccer balls, baseball
bats, helmets, practice goals, etc.
- supplies team uniforms
- helps us keep athletic fields up-to-date and well-maintained
Financial Aid
- helps support the budget for student financial aid, enriching our campus
with a more diverse student body
For more information about Giving to Davidson Academy, please contact Pam King at pking@davidsonacademy.com, or call the Development Office at 860-5305.
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